Removable access gate for parking lots

ABSTRACT

An access control gate for parking lots includes an access gate main body with a built-in actuating device and a gate arm that is coupled to the gate control device of the access gate main body where the actuation of the actuating device controls the movements of the gate arm. The gate arm can be mechanically connected to or removed from the access gate main body. The gate arm has a light-emitting device (LED) installed longitudinally on one side. The joint structure connecting the gate arm and the access gate main body will immediately release the gate arm from the access gate main body and disconnects the electricity connecting to the LED upon an abnormal impact, such as a vehicle collides with the gate arm.

BACKGROUND

This invention is an access gate for controlling automobile traffic at an entry to a parking lot, or a particular area. More particularly, a removable access gate for parking lots that the gate arm is easily broken off/removed from the gate control device when the gate arm is struck by an automobile, thereby preventing various accidents.

In general, an access gate is installed at the entrance and the exit of a parking lot or at a certain point in a particular area to control the traffic flow. Usually the access gate uses a up-and down movable gate arm to open or close the access gate. When the gate arm receives the open signals from the control system of the access gate, it raises the gate arm and allows a car to pass through. And the gate arm lays down and blocks the access when receives the close signals sent from the automobile sensor or sent from the loop coil embedded in the road which is triggered by the passing of the vehicle.

However, few drivers, without noticing the blocking the gate arm, accidentally collide their vehicle with the blocking gate arm that causes the damage to the gate arm and the vehicle. To attract the drivers' attention, in some cases, the gate arms are taped with reflective adhesive tape or installed with the blinking lamps. These measures will work especially in a relatively darker environment or at night.

Nevertheless, a reflecting adhesive tape is not that effective and will not function well under certain environments. Moreover, although the blinking lamps are easy to be noticed, but they are not aesthetically pleasing and furthermore, upon collision, the electricity from the broken wire and the lamps may cause an electric shock to nearby person or may even cause a fire.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Therefore, this invention intends to resolve these existing problems of the traditional access gates. The object of this invention is to provide a safe removable gate arm for an access gate. When the gate arm encounters an abnormal impact, the gate arm will be released by the access gate immediately and at the same time the access gate will cut the power off from the light-emitting device which is installed on the gate arm.

This invention, an access gate for parking lots includes an access gate main body having a built-in actuating device and a gate arm which is coupled to the gate control device of the access gate main body. Through the gate control device, the access gate controls the raising up and laying down the gate arm that in turn allows or disallows vehicle pass through the gate. The gate arm is installed with a light-emitting device longitudinally alone with sides of the gate arm, when the gate arm is removed from the access gate main body, the power supply to the light-emitting device is disconnected too.

In addition, the access gate has the first holder coupled to the gate control device with a structure that can be electrically connected to the access gate main body. The gate arm which is inserted into the first holder with a structure that can be electrically connected to or disconnected from the first holder, and the second holder which is joined to the first holder with a structure that can be joined to or removed from the open side of the first holder.

Furthermore, the first holder includes the setting plate with a joint hole for connecting with the driving shaft, the first upper holder which is affixed to the upper part of the setting plate and is structured in such a way that its front, lower part and the part of one side are open to hold part of the gate arm, and the first lower holder which is affixed to the lower part of the setting plate and is structured in such a way that its front, lower part and a part of one side are open to hold part of the gate arm.

Either the first upper holder or the first lower holder is installed with a structure that allows adjustment of the width from the setting plate.

The first holder may have a joint hole to connect the driving shaft on the rear, and the first holder is structured in such a way that its front and the part of one side are open for the insertion of the gate arm and the second holder. The first holder has the first base plate which has a plurality of terminals electrically connected to the access gate main body, the gate arm has the second base plate with terminals corresponding to those on the first base plate on the position corresponding to the first base plate, and the first base and the second plate are structured in such a way that they can be connected or disconnected by the designated pin springs.

The springs contain a pin spring body which is affixed to the connecting terminal of either the first base plate or the second base plate, a spring which is inserted into the spring pin body, and a connecting pin which is elastically supported by the spring, inserted inside the spring body, and connected to the other base plate than the one on which the pin spring body is installed.

The second holder has setting grooves caved inside, and the first holder has ball plungers joined into the setting grooves on the corresponding positions that allow joint into or removal from the setting grooves.

The ball plunger contains a ball plunger body that penetrates the upper or lower part of the first holder, a spring inserted into the ball plunger body, and a fixing device which is elastically supported by the spring and exposed out of the inserting part of the first holder.

The second holder has at least one salient part. it and the gate arm have complemented corresponding grooves for the insertion purpose. And the first holder also has salient pieces to prevent rainwater getting inside and to hold the gate arm in position.

The light-emitting device contains a light-transmitting device built with transparent or semi-transparent material and a third base plate which is installed inside the light-transmitting device and has a multitude of illuminating devices properly arranged lengthwise on one or two sides. And the damping auxiliary material is installed on the lower part of the gate arm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows overall view of one embodiment of the access gate for parking lots;

FIG. 2 is an exploded skew drawing that shows the construction of the access gate according to an example of the embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section drawing that shows the internal assembly of the access gate illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded skew drawing that shows the construction of the ball plunger illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an exploded skew drawing that shows the connection structure between the first base plate and the second base plate;

FIG. 6 is a cross-section drawing that shows the assembly structure of the light-emitting device installed on the access gate according to an example of the embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 7 is an exploded skew drawing of the access gate according to a different example of the embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 8 is a cross-section drawing that shows the internal assembly of the access gate illustrated in FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One embodiment of this invention with referring to the drawings attached herewith is discussed in detail so that a skilled person in this field can appreciate the invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 through FIG. 3, the access gate for parking lots A includes the access gate main body 100, the first holder 200, the gate arm 300 and the second holder 400.

The access gate main body 100 is an enclosed structure that contains the gate control device having the actuating motor not illustrated with a reducer attached, the driving shaft 111, which transfers the driving power of the actuating motor, and various control devices not illustrated that control the driving power of the actuating motor. This access gate main body 100 can be in different styles or shapes and is not limited to the specific shape illustrated in the attached drawings.

The first holder 200 transfers the driving power of the actuating device built in the access gate main body 100 to the gate arm 300. The first holder has the setting plate 210 fixedly installed on the driving shaft 111 of the access gate main body 100, and the first upper holder 220 and the first lower holder 230, each fixedly installed on the upper and lower part of the setting plate 210.

The setting plate 210 has a joint hole 211 at its center for joint with the driving shaft 111 and an arrival groove 212 to provide a space for the installation of the first base plate 250. Therefore, the setting plate is fixedly installed by welding or a similar method while it is joined to the driving shaft 111 through the joint hole 211, and the cables connected to the inside of the access gate main body are connected to the first base plate 25 through the inside of the driving shaft 111.

In addition, the setting plate 210 has setting holes 210 a at the upper and lower part to fix the first upper holder 220 and the first lower hold 230 to it respectively.

The first upper holder 220 is structured in such a way that its front, one side and the lower part are open covering the upper part of the setting plate 210, has setting holes 220 a at the positions corresponding to the upper setting holes 210 a of the setting plate 210 at each end of the rear. And the first upper holder is affixed by the locking device not illustrated which is locked through the setting hole 220 a of the first upper holder 230 and the setting hole 210 a of the setting plate 210.

The identical-structured first lower holder 230 is located symmetrically to the first upper holder 220 and covers the lower part of the setting plate 210. it has setting holes 220 a at the positions corresponding to the lower setting holes 210 a of the setting plate 210 at each end of the rear, and is affixed by the locking device not illustrated. The locking device locked both the first lower holder and the setting plate through the setting hole 230 a of the first lower holder 230 and the setting hole 210 a of the setting plate 210.

Either the first upper holder 220 or the first lower holder 230 is installed in such a way that one of the holders 220 230 allows to adjust the height with respect to the setting plate 210. So the width of the first upper holder 220 and the first lower holder 230 are adjustable to a certain extent, that further depends on the size of the gate arm 300 inserted into the first holder 200. By using one of the setting holes 210 a of the upper part and the lower part of the setting plate 210 as the long hole, it becomes possible to adjust the extension length of the gate arm 300 accurately according to its size.

In addition, it is desirable to have a plurality of salient pieces 222 232 in a prescribed shape on an open side of the first upper holder 220 and the first lower holder 230. Without the salient pieces, water may penetrate into the first holder 200 and interferes with the operation of the gate arm 300. the salient pieces 222 232 in the form of a terrace can prevent such problem happening.

The first upper holder 220 and the first lower holder 230 have a penetrating hole 221 231, and a ball plunger 240 is installed in the penetrating hole 221 231 for the purpose of holding the gate arm 300.

The ball plunger 240, as shown on FIG. 4, contains a ball plunger body 241 whose one end is open and the surrounding of the open side forms a cut-off shoulder 241 a, a setting ball 242 in the shape of a ball which is inserted into the ball plunger body 241 and only a small part of the ball is exposed to outside, and a spring 243 is installed between the ball plunger body 241 and the setting ball 242 that provides elasticity to the setting ball 242. Only the setting ball is exposed to the inside of the first upper holder 220 and the first lower holder 230.

On the ball plunger 240, the ball plunger body 242 has threads on the exterior surface. And the penetrating holes 211 221 of the first upper holder 220 and the first lower holder 230 have threads on the inner surface that corresponds to the exterior surface of the ball plunger body 241, so that they are fitted together by threads.

The gate arm 300 is installed by inserting one of its end between the first upper holder 220 and the first lower holder 230 where the access gate controls the traffic by moving it up/open or down/close directions according to the rotation of the driving shaft 111. Such a gate arm 300 is made of aluminum or wood, and the desirable length is about 2 to 4 meters. The gate arm 300 has a light-emitting device 330 (LED) installed longitudinally along the side of the gate arm, and has the second base plate 320 at a position corresponding to the first base plate 250 for power supply.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the first base plate 250 and the second base plate 320 have a number of terminals 251 321 provide electricity to the light-emitting device 330 (LED) and the sensor for the monitoring of the removal of the gate arm 300. Between the terminals 251 of the first base plate 250 and the terminals 321 of the second base plate 320, the pin springs 260 are installed to produce the elastic motion.

The pin spring 260 includes a pin spring body 261 which is affixed to the connecting terminal of either the first base plate 250 or the second base plate 320, a spring which is inserted into the spring pin body 261, and a connecting pin 263 which is elastically supported by the spring, inserted inside the spring body 261, and connected to the terminals 251 321 of the other base plate 250 320 and the one on which the pin spring body is installed.

Because the first base plate 250 and the second base plate 320 are electrically connected by the connecting pin 263, it allows flex movement between the first base plate 250 and the second base plate 320, with a certain range, the electrical connection is still intact. On the other hand, in case the gate arm 300 is separated, the pin springs 260 are also separated, and thus the electric connection is disconnected.

The second holder 400 locks the gate arm 300 to the first holder 200. The second holder 400 has a “C” shaped cross-section and has setting grooves 411 caved inside at the positions corresponding to the penetrating holes 221 231 of the first holder 200. Therefore, as long as the setting ball 242 of the ball plunger 240 is joined to the setting groove 411, the first holder 200 and the second holder 400 remain joined. If external pressure is applied to the gate arm 300, the second holder 400 is separated from the first holder 200 and thus the gate arm 300 is also separated.

Besides, the second holder has one or more salient parts 412 and the gate arm 300 has inserting grooves 311 corresponding to the salient parts 412. As a result, as long as the second holder 400 is joined to the first holder 200, the gate arm 300 also remains stably joined without movement. Meanwhile, the gate arm 300 has the light-emitting device 330 installed at the top or the bottom for easy recognition by drivers.

As illustrated on FIG. 6, the light-emitting device 330 (LED) consists of the light transmitting device 331 made of transparent or semi-transparent material and the third base plate 332 that is affixed inside the light-transmitting device electrically connectable to the second base plate 320 and has a multitude of LEDs 332 a properly arranged along one side or both sides of the gate arm.

The light-transmitting device 331 is waterproof, has an inserting groove at the center from top to bottom to fix the third base plate, and may have a light-reflecting device not illustrated of a prescribed shape on the wall at each side so that light can be evenly transmitted to the outside.

The LEDs 332 a are installed along a side or both sides of the third base plate 332 and may be configured in various ways such remaining turned on, getting sequentially turned on, or blinking. The light-emitting device 330 (LED) can be affixed to the top of the gate arm 300 by a sliding joint method. A guide rail 333 can be installed along the lower part of the light-transmitting device 331 of the light-emitting device 330 (LED) and a matching guide groove 312 is built inside the gate arm 300 where the guide rail 333 of the LED can be joined by insertion.

In the gate arm 300, damping auxiliary material 340 can be additionally installed made of flexible material such as rubber in a joint structure similar to the light-emitting device 340. This will prevent the gate arm 300 from getting damaged if it falls down to the floor as a result of collision with an automobile.

Therefore, the gate arm 300 having a light-emitting device 330 (LED) is coupled to the second holder 400 and the first holder 200 which is affixed to the access gate main body 100 but can be easily removed. The drivers will notice the gate arm 300 without difficulty under normal conditions. Even if a vehicle collides with it, the second holder 400 and the gate arm 300 are released from the first holder 200 and the electricity connecting to the light-emitting device 330 (LED) is disconnected at the same time, hence it reduces the risk and the damage if a vehicle collides with the gate arm.

So far it has been described that the gate arm 300 and the second holder 400 are joined to the first upper holder 220 and the first lower holder 230, but this invention is not limited to such a structure. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the first holder 200′ may have a single structure.

In this case, the setting plate on which the driving shaft 111 is not fixed, and the joining hole 211′ to join the driving shaft 111 and the arrival groove 21′ to set the first base plate are formed on the inside wall of the first holder 200′.

This invention reduces the chances of collisions between vehicles and the gate arm because drivers can easily notice the gate arm on which the light-emitting device is turned on or blinking. Even if the vehicle does collide with the gate arm, the gate arm is released immediately from the access gate main body and the connecting electricity to the light-emitting device is disconnected at the same time, thereby further prevents accidents such as electric shock. 

1. A removable access gate for parking lots, comprising: an access gate main body with a built-in actuating device; a gate arm which is coupled to the actuating device that controls the gate arm by rotating back and forth along the actuating device and the gate arm has a light-emitting device arranged longitudinally along at least one side of the gate arm, wherein the gate arm is connected to the access gate main body in a structure that the gate arm can be mechanically joined to or removed from and provides the electrical contact between the gate arm and the access gate main body, so that the electricity connecting to the gate arm is disconnected when the gate arm is removed from the structure or the light-emitting device is removed from the gate arm.
 2. The removable access gate for parking lots of claim 1, wherein the structure that the gate arm can be mechanically joined to or removed from further comprises a first holder, which is attached to and has a electrical connection providing electricity from the access gate main body to the gate arm, wherein the gate arm that is inserted into the first holder that provides a mechanical and electrical connectable or releasable point between the gate arm and the first holder; and a second holder, which is joined to the open side of the first holder with a removable structure.
 3. The removable access gate for parking lots of claim 1, the first holder further comprises a setting plate fixedly installed on a driving shaft of the access gate main body through a joining hole for joint with the driving shaft; a first upper holder which is affixed to an upper part of the setting plate and is structured in such a way that a front, a lower part and part of a side thereof are open to hold a part of the gate arm; and a first lower holder which is fixedly installed on the upper part of the setting plate and is structured in such a way that a front, an upper part thereof and part of a side are open to hold a part of the gate arm.
 4. The removable access gate for parking lots of claim 3, wherein the width from the setting plate is adjustable by adjusting the location the first upper holder or the first lower holder.
 5. The removable access gate for parking lots of claim 2, wherein the first holder has a joining hole for joint with a driving shaft and whose front and side are partly open for insertion of the gate arm and the second holder.
 6. The removable access gate for parking lots of claim 3 or 5, wherein the first holder has a first base plate with a plurality of terminals electrically connected to the access gate main body, that the gate arm has a second base plate with terminals corresponding to terminals on the first base plate for providing electricity to the light-emitting device, and the electrical connection or disconnection between the first base plate and the second base plate is controlled through a plurality of pin springs.
 7. The removable access gate for parking lots of claim 6, wherein the pin springs further comprising: a pin spring body, which is affixed to the terminal of either the first base plate or the second base plate; a spring which is inserted into the pin spring body; and a connecting pin, which is elastically supported by the spring, inserted inside the pin spring body, and connected to a base plate other than the one on which the pin spring body is installed.
 8. The removable access gate for parking lots of claim 3 or 5, wherein the second holder has a plurality of setting grooves caved inside and the first holder has a plurality of ball plungers joined into the setting grooves on corresponding positions, which allow joint into or removal from the setting grooves.
 9. The removable access gate for parking lots of claim 8, further comprising: a ball plunger contains a ball plunger body which penetrates an upper or a lower part of the first holder, a spring inserted into the ball plunger body, and a fixing device which is elastically supported by the spring and exposed out of an inserting part of the first holder.
 10. The removable access gate for parking lots of claim 3 or 5, wherein the second holder has one or more salient parts and the gate arm has an inserting groove or inserting grooves on corresponding position or positions of a salient part or parts of the second holder.
 11. The removable access gate for parking lots of claim 3 or 5, wherein the first holder has salient pieces for protecting rainwater from penetrating and preventing the gate arm from escaping.
 12. The removable access gate for parking lots of claim 6, wherein the light-emitting device contains a light-transmitting device built with transparent or semi-transparent material and a third base plate which is installed inside the light-transmitting device and has a multitude of illuminating devices properly arranged lengthwise on one or two sides.
 13. The removable access gate for parking lots of claim 6, further comprises a damping auxiliary material additionally installed on the lower part of the gate arm. 